Concussions and other traumatic brain injuries may potentially benefit from the use of nutritional supplementation, according to a study from Texas Christian University. In the study, the researchers talked about how specific nutrients and nutraceuticals can affect a wider number pathways than conventional drugs, offering a broader treatment approach for mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs).

Sports-related concussive and sub-concussive impacts develop into long-term neurological impairment in the long run, according to recent studies. In some cases, this may even lead to an increased risk of having neurodegenerative diseases.

There are multiple processes needed to address mTBIs and other forms of sports-related injury. Sub-concussive impacts, for example, lead to measurable changes in the body’s pathophysiology. mTBIs can also adversely affect not only the structure and function of the brain but also its metabolic organization.

Researchers pointed out that while pharmaceutical therapies target a single mechanism in treating an injury, nutritional supplementation utilizes multiple mechanisms of the injury. This allows it to relieve damage caused by both sub-concussive and non-concussive impacts.

A limitation revealed in the study is the lack of human studies on the role of supplementation in protecting the brain. So far, only murine models have been used to conduct studies on mTBI and TBI.

In the study, researchers only identified one human case – that which studied the effects of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) on head trauma injuries. While that study revealed that DHA reduced head trauma damage, as measured by the serum neurofilament light biomarker, the results cannot be fully inferred because of constraints.

The researchers deduced that there is a potential for nutritional supplementation to be used to treat TBI; however, they recommended further exploration to understand its safety risks and efficacy fully.